Smartphone Overheating? Chevrolet Impala Can Help

While occasional smartphone overheating is
normal, it can be disconcerting as it saps the phone’s battery life and
slows processing speeds. Industry-first technology coming soon to some
Chevrolet models can help cool down this problem for Jacksonville-area drivers.

Engineers regularly subject vehicles to the most extreme climates to
ensure subsystems work properly. While testing a smartphone wireless
charging feature, they noticed some smartphones would suspend charging
or shut off altogether after only a few minutes in high temperatures
inside a car’s cabin.

Most smartphones have built-in thermal protection features to protect
battery life, but that protection – which can cause the phone to pause
charging or turn off until it has cooled down – is inconvenient for
customers on the road who rely on their smartphones for streaming music,
navigation or receiving phone calls.

Chevrolet is addressing this with a system called Active Phone
Cooling in several vehicles, including the 2016 Impala and Malibu
equipped with available wireless charging. No other automotive
manufacturer offers a similar solution for in-vehicle smartphone
cooling.

An air vent connected directly to the car’s air conditioning and
ventilation system is directed to the charging bin where the phone rests
for wireless charging, sending cool air to help lower the phone’s
temperature. Active Phone Cooling operates only when the HVAC system is
turned on by the driver.

“Over time, regular overheating can do permanent damage to the
lithium ion batteries that power our smartphones. I always recommend
keeping your phone in a cool, ventilated place, where it can stay at a
comfortable room temperature, whether it’s charging or discharging,” said Jeffrey Van Camp, deputy editor of Digital Trends.

Several factors can cause or worsen overheating in smartphones like
heavy strain on the device’s data and graphics processors, high ambient
temperatures or simply charging the device. The problem can be worse
inside vehicles during hot weather. Heat is trapped inside a vehicle
during hot days causing cabin temperatures to soar much higher than
outside temperatures.

After pairing their compatible phones with the available MyLink
radio, Nimnicht Chevrolet Impala and Malibu customers can access
phone features such as streaming music or making phone calls through
steering wheel controls or voice commands.

Active Phone Cooling will also be available in the 2016 Chevrolet Volt and Cruze equipped with available wireless charging.